John Healey resigns as defence secretary over military spending plans

John Healey has resigned as defence secretary, warning that Keir Starmer's military spending plans fall short.

Healey announced his resignation on Thursday, saying he had been "left with no other option" but to quit having been presented with details of how much additional money the government was planning to spend on defence.

He singled out the Treasury for criticism, saying it was "unwilling" to "commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats".

Healey is considered a Starmer loyalist and his resignation represents a major blow to the prime minister.

The government is expected to publish its long-awaited Defence Investment Plan (DIP) in the coming days after months of delay.

The PM and Chancellor Rachel Reeves are under pressure to significantly increase defence spending in response to global threats to the UK.

In his letter of resignation to Starmer, Healey said the DIP financial settlement, which he was first given in full on Monday afternoon, "falls well short of what is required for defence and the country at this dangerous time". 

"The extra support is backloaded when the pressure of operations and imperative to speed up readiness to fight is in the first two years and it rises to just 2.58 per cent of GDP in 2030, when we will reach 2.6 per cent next year with the investment we are already making."

He added: "Without a DIP that meets the moment in this way, I am being forced to make decisions that would reduce the readiness of our forces and increase the risk to personnel on operations, and could make the country less safe.

"After explaining to you that I would not be able to accept a DIP settlement that does not give our forces the resources they need, I am now left with no other option than to submit my resignation as your defence secretary."

This story first appeared on our sister website, Politics Home.